Rooted Menace
The Breathing Forest , the main base of operations for the Magic Council, and a truly magnificent display of the Council’s power. It was a floating island, the same size as an established city, and it moved through the island regions of Ishgar without a single issue. Its primary locality was close to the countries and , where the reign of the council reigned supreme. Amongst the bustling workers and the tall buildings, a single woman stood in an office room of the central, tallest building in the city: the main headquarters of the Magic Council. This blond woman boasted a regal air, despite her youth, and was dressed in attire appropriate for a Rune Knight. “Cecilia Lambert, Shield Unit: Alexander’s Captain reporting, sir!” The woman reported, saluting to her superior, who sat in the distance, his face unrecognizable through the dim lighting. “Thank you for your punctuality, as always, Cecilia.” The man before Cecilia spoke. This man, who could not be recognized by his face, was the individual feared and respected by the world as the Knight Commandant of the Rune Knights, also known as “Knight King.” “There is a mission I require you to attend post-haste. At the east of Fiore, past the remains of , there is a particularly large forest. This forest has never been an issue prior to recently, however, we have received word that individuals are going missing in this forest, and that ominous noises can be heard.” Cecilia responded in the midst of the Commandant’s speech, “Forgive me, sir. But...ominous noises? Of what sort?” Cecilia inquired. Situations like this rarely arose, and if they did, they were often accompanied with bad omens. “From what has been told by witnesses, they appear to be noises akin to a wolf’s howl, or cry. But it is difficult to determine with recordings alone.” The Commandant responded, with a certain amount of urgency in his voice. “From what my scouts have reported, the forest is not simply idle, either. There appears to be a vast quantity of raw power emitting from it, but it does not match any known sources of magical power. Due to these unknowns, it has quickly rose to become a territory that Guilds are competing for Jobs, but it is also very high-risk area.” “...A power that does not match existing records of Magic..? How strange…” Cecilia noted to herself. While she had encountered many beasts during her career, none of them boasted particularly strange magical energy. In fact, there were many consistencies when it came to magic energy alone. Then what was this...phenomenon that the Knight Commandant had informed her of? “Cecilia.” The Knight Commandant sought to grab the Rune Knight Captain’s attention. “I need you to quarantine the southern access point of this Forest. The other points are guarded by river, mountains and swamps. They will be difficult for people to access without specific vehicles. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to place quarantined barriers at all those sites with the situations in Enca, Caelum and Pergrande...but that’s for another time.” Cecilia nodded in approval, “Yes, sir! Is there anything else you would like me to do while I am at the forest?” Cecilia asked eagerly. “Take a small squad of Knights with you. Capable ones, of course, and investigate the forest to the best of your ability. If possible, find any missing people and retrieve them safely. Likewise, if you can determine the true nature of that forest, that would make our efforts easier.” The man stood up, and walked past Cecilia at a brisk pace, his body framed with armor, and face hidden by the dim lighting. “I expect great things, Cecilia.” The man spoke, walking past and seemingly disappearing from view in the instant Cecilia turned around. “The Knight Commandant...mocking me as always…” Cecilia pouted, before raising her spirits and leaving the office. She had a job to do. ---- Nearby the location that the Knight Commandant had given Cecilia, anyone walking could easily see a wall of black in the distance. Yet, it was no fortress, at least, not one built from bricks and iron. Leaves rustled, those who walked even closer would see that it was, in fact, a group of trees. The Forest of Death. Its trees varied greatly in size alone, some standing out, some hidden by others. Regardless of their individual sizes, they all stood taller than the soil surrounding the forest, making it seem as if it had its own grounds. Much like stated before, around it were many other environments, the most notable ones being a chain of mountains to one side. From a particular distance, some kind of… howling reached to the outside. That day was quite windy, many currents passed by the forest, their formless echoes brushed by the leaves, by the rocks, by the wood. It overwhelmed whatever noises any animals, insects… humans could make. With the abundance of trees and their fat leaves, sunlight would have a difficult time illuminating its soils. Upon closer inspection, if one would even dare, they would notice how some of the leaves didn’t actually budge along the wind. Closest to the southern entrances were the river from the east and the swamp from the west. Rivers were quick to be found inside a forest, after all, the water ran fast. However, even from such a close point, one couldn’t simply hear it. It was as if the water ran meekly, so that it stood quiet, its partial crystalline texture only made it less notable. Silence, despite the numerous trees and flowers, only silence predominated. “What...what is this…?” Cecilia could only speak in shock, jaw dropping at the site before her. It was not the magnitude of the forest that surprised her, nor the barriers surrounding it...but rather, it was the sound that the forest was emitting. This wasn’t a natural sound, not in the slightest. It had felt like a wild animal overwhelmed everything. Nature had felt non-existent in this space. She could not hear the cries of the birds, despite the birds flying right above her. The sounds of the rapid river were silent, even though she could see it with her eyes. It was almost as if she was placed in a simulation. “Focus, focus Cecilia.” Cecilia repeated to herself, trying to calm herself down. But it was difficult beyond belief. Everything in this area had felt completely unnatural. Her first instinct was to simply run away and ignore the problem, but she wasn’t raised as a Rune Knight to be a coward. “First, we must quarantine this area immediately. Knights, stand back for a moment.” Cecilia commanded her subordinates, and they all took a couple of steps back. “You sure you don’t need help, Captain Cecilia?” One of her subordinates asked, taking off his helmet. He was a youthful man, with darker blonde hair, and bright green eyes. This was Mason Warren, a member of the Artefact Detainment Unit: Cerberus. He wasn't a Captain, but he was noted among the various members of the Unit to be a particularly skilled Celestial Mage, with his skills being renown by those of his ilk as “Silver Star”, especially with his partner, . “I’m fine, but thank you for the offer, Warren.” As Cecilia politely refused the offer, Mason backed away. He had heard of the “Shield Hero” through mostly rumors, never being assigned on a mission with the Captain till this point. Despite her chivalric attitude, she was noted to be quite stubborn, something he finally saw for himself. She breathed in, gathering magical energy and expelling it outwards from her being. Her aura took a bright golden aura, and resembled a shield at first glance. As she focused her magic further, Cecilia chanted, “Formula 21.” She wielded her staff, spinning it on the spot twice, before swinging it horizontally to her right. Suddenly, a string of characters began to form from the furthest left part of the forest entrance, and in a golden line, they began moving rightwards in a straight line. The characters continued to be made, in a repetitive pattern, before finally the line ended at the furthest right of the forest entrance. A golden wall shot up from the text, soaring upwards into the sky, and seemingly stretching nigh-infinitely. This was the Magic of Cecilia Lambert, Susanoo, a powerful form of Magic Barrier that truly emphasized the Captain’s skill. “There we go. No ordinary Mage will be able to break or bypass this barrier, meaning that, even if we are there for extended periods of time, those who come to rescue us will surely be someone stronger than I am.” Cecilia affirmed her thoughts out loud while speaking to her subordinates at the same time. “You are all prepared? We have rations and the like, don’t we?” Cecilia asked her squadron. “Yes, Captain! We have enough food and water to last for an entire week.” Mason responded affirmatively. “Good...but let’s hope we don’t need it,” Cecilia said, with an almost grimacing tone. The ambience of this forest did not appeal to her at all. Not only was it frightening...but it was dampening, almost as if being in this area was sapping away her happiness. “Let’s go.” Cecilia said as she swung her staff. A part of the barrier that she had created had opened up for herself and her subordinates. She walked in first and made sure the others trailed behind her. As they all entered the vast forest, she closed the golden barrier once again. She looked at the magnitude of this forest and could feel its magical power. She clenched onto her staff tightly. This wasn’t going to be easy. Grass, the first thing Cecilia’s boot met was pure grass, yet, its squish wasn’t the only sound that reverberated. Much like a string snapping, the howling that echoed through the forest came to a halt, almost too fast, the rustle of the leaves disappeared. Seconds passed by, some of the Knights could feel as if the oxygen escaped their lungs. All was soon tranquil once the rustle of leaves could be heard again, the sound of the water coming out, even if not too loud. ---- Sebastian had been wandering for the last three days, slowly picking his way through this foul place. Moving slowly so the forest wouldn't notice, drifting across a slow current of air so he wouldn't touch the trees, water, or ground below. Anything so it wouldn't notice, not again. Three days ago he had entered this forest, looking for the origins of this forest, this Forest of Death. An S-Class mage from the guild Mountain's Oath, sent into the Lion's Den to figure out what had happened to the other mages, the other people. He hadn't found them, but Sebastian was pretty sure what happened to them. What had happened to him. Those people he had been sent to find, they were almost certainly dead. "A light..." He whispered, hoping his voice wouldn't carry as he saw the golden glow in the distance. Sebastion changed his course, turning towards the light. For all he knew, it might be the forest trying to finish him off once and for all. But he had to take the chance, as continuing what he had been doing for the last three days would only kill him. All that was left for him to do was to try and reach it, hoping beyond hope that he might be saved, even as blood dripped onto the ground below from his ruined arm and leg hanging limply at his side. Genius, Sebastian's efforts and methods were fruits of how much hard work and thinking he had put into surviving. But, that was why, it sought him. What gave away his presence wasn't even a mistake, after all, Sebastian couldn't just focus on stopping his blood from hitting the ground, else he fell as well. The quietness from before was soundly interrupted... Thud, the earth shook and some leaves fell, thud. Thud, thud, thud, a gust of wind went along, turning the leaves and grass to a certain direction. Living beings, regardless of wielding magic or not, knew too well when a sensation dawned upon them. Especially, when something or someone observed them. "Haaaaaah," Some kind of steam blew around Sebastian's location, before he could even look up, some kind of transparent liquid descended to the ground. In fact, even if he did, the many trees and their leaves blocked out whatever it was, "Haaaaah." Not again... The mage shuddered as he felt the presence above. "Urknall..." Sebastian whispered, pretending to be unaware of the situation for a moment longer than he was. Hoping that he could trick the forest in giving him the few seconds he needed to break for it. His magic power was running low, the strain of the days weighing heavily upon him. But he wasn't quite out of it yet. Air gathered on his palm, consuming the gust into a bomb of wind and air. A bomb that would hopefully buy him enough time to rush towards the light, rush to what was hopefully freedom. Sebastian spun around on his cushion of air, changing to face straight up to the trees above. The air in the forest collapsed towards him, being consumed by the bomb in his good hand. Even the cushion he lay upon was consumed, as the spell grew larger and larger. "Angriff!" He yelled as his back hit the ground, the ball of wind and air exploding out with a roar that could be heard across the forest. The back blast of the spell alone was enough to crater the ground underneath Sebastion, driving him into the soft soaking ground as a hurricane battered the trees above him. Sebastion pushed off with his good leg, sliding up and out of the hole even as he conjured another cushion of air. This one moving much faster than the last in a last ditch effort to reach that golden light that was coming tantalizingly closer. This was it, his last gambit to escape this forest alive. Cecilia and her squad of Knights had been slowly moving forward. They were attempting to scan their environment, trying to find signs of life and signs of magical activity. Much to their surprise, everything within the forest had been almost muddled entirely, as if they entered the ocean to try and find a specific grain of salt. "This is really weird..." One of the Rune Knight subordinates spoke, revealing her face from her helmet. She was a bespectacled woman with brown hair tied in a braided ponytail. Bianca Kinobori, an expert in the use of Plant Magic, and a member of the Communications Unit: Ixion, found herself puzzled at the environment around her. This wasn't any ordinary forest, but she couldn't understand what was going on. "Let me try something! One moment, Captain!" Bianca asked Cecilia, who had ordered the rest of the knights to stop and accompany Bianca. The eager Plant Mage headed towards the nearby tree and made contact with it. "Plant Climber!" Bianca chanted, as she focused her magic to her hands, created numerous smaller vines that punctured the nearby tree. The vines would connect her sensations and magical power to the plant, enabling her to manipulate it and sense the true nature of this forest... Or so she thought. "Aaaaahh!!!" Bianca screamed suddenly, causing Cecilia and Mason to be puzzled and rush towards her, catching her as she was falling to the ground. The vines that she had produced died, and disconnected from her body, leaving her sweating and panting from the experience she just went through. "What...what the hell is this forest...?" Bianca asked herself aloud, as she continued to look around. "The amount of power in this place is beyond anything I could ever imagine...it feels like it could surpass the Wizard Saints! Captain...we might be in over our heads..." "...Thank you for your efforts, Kinobori. Unfortunately, we have to keep moving forward for the time being. If we find at least one survivor, we might be good to go." Cecilia said, helping her stand up and walk again. "Warren, make sure Kinobori is doing well," Cecilia ordered, and the Rune Knight responded affirmatively. They continued to move forward steadily, observing all their surroundings and keeping on the straightest path possible. Soon, however, they would hear a sound that felt like a burst of air from the distance. "Did you hear that? Keep on guard, everyone!" Cecilia told her subordinates, as everyone took a defensive position. Intense winds could be seen in the distance, as a figure trailed forth. It was a human, male, making use of what appeared to be Wind Magic. "Mage! Stop right there! We are Rune Knights, and we are here to help you!" Cecilia announced to the incoming Mage, who may have just lost control of his power. Spinning her staff, Sengetsu, Cecilia chanted, "Formula 3!" Text appeared beneath Cecilia's immediate location, and as the Mage continued to burst forward, a wall with a sponge-like texture appeared before Cecilia, attempting to dampen the impact of the Mage's bursting speed without harming him. Sebastian hit the wall hard, the soft texture of it stopping him gently, though the man still let out a small moan of pain as his shattered arm and leg hit the wall. He had flown towards the light as fast as he could without crashing, weaving between the trees in an effort to escape. Sebastian hadn't even taken the time to see if he had thrown off his pursuer. He rolled off the wall onto the soft ground, ending up face down in the soft earth. He slowly pushed himself up with his good arm to look at the assembled rune knights. Pain could be heard laced through the disheveled man's voice as he uttered, "Leave, now... Before it's too late..." This man was terribly injured. Just what could cause this sort of pain? As Cecilia looked at the Mage carefully, she had realized who he was. He was quite a famous S-Class Mage of the Guild Mountain's Oath, Sebastian Vael. "Kinobori, apply first aid immediately and stop his bleeding. Warren, you assist her too." Cecilia ordered her subordinates, who began their work immediately. At the same time, Cecilia knew something had been odd about this forest, and Sebastian's injuries only confirmed it further. "Sebastian, while you are getting recovered...I need to tell me all you can remember about this forest. Unfortunately, I cannot leave just yet. But I will protect all of us to the best of our abilities while we are still here." As Cecilia spoke those words, however, she found herself puzzled. The brightness of the forest seemed to increase, and the clarity of her perception increased. Gasping, and covering her mouth with her hand, she saw dead bodies littered throughout the area. But she couldn't close her eyes, so with all of her mental strength, she swallowed down those images, and continued to keep watch over the forest, while noting that light had been seeping through the foliage now. Mason and Bianca were in a similar state to Cecilia. The bodies had nearly cut off Bianca's concentration, as she had just applied an anesthetic plant to Sebastian to dull his sense of pain while summoning vines to begin patching up his broken bones. Mason, however, had made sure to keep Bianca concentrated on Sebastian, blocking the sight with his own body. Of course, even for him, seeing this gruesome place...was difficult. "I got here three days ago," The man stated as he laid upon the ground while staring at the canopy of the forest stopping and starting as he spoke, "I had been tasked to look into the disappearances, probably like you have. It went fine, at first. I found the bodies you probably just noticed, judging by your facial expressions. Civilians who entered the forest before we knew what was going on, the first mages who had investigated this place, and even more I couldn't identify. But there's something in this forest... Something powerful, and terrifying. Two other S-class mages entered this forest before me. I haven't found a trace of either..." "This cursed forest probably killed them, like it almost did to me. The trees move, the ground attempts to eat you, the light..." Sebastian's eyes widened as he noticed just how bright it had become. His voice almost shook as he uttered, "The light just wipes everything away..." Sebastian groaned as he slowly lifted his uninjured arm. With a tone of panic, he stated: "I could barely stop the first one..." He had seen this light once before, three days ago. This was the light that had stolen the movement in his left arm. Now it was coming to claim the rest of him. "It has come back for me... The light..." The injured man sat up slowly, ignoring any protests from those working on him. His arm burned as gravity pulled on it once more. A grey circle of magic drew itself into existence as it flowed from his right hand, the eldritch symbols frantically writing them onto air as Sebastian drew upon the last of his power in an attempt to protect this group. Sebastian acknowledged that he was probably a dead man, but that didn't mean he wouldn't go down fighting. "Leave now, while you still can..." "I cannot," Cecilia responded, as her own magical energy flared upwards, and she began to spin her staff in various angles. "As the Captain of the Shield Unit: Alexander. I will not leave this place until you are all safe!" A tremendous amount of magic poured out of her being; a challenge to the forest, that seemed to glow brighter. Such brightness was not the only thing that made itself present, however, whatever creature that had been lurking behind Sebastian had been gone, the water and leaves were all still again. The light upon the place had started to wander away from them. Everything had gone silent again, until... A pitched scream echoed through the entire forest, making its roots and soil rumble vividly, "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" From the distance, in-between the leaves above them, the group would see a blinking star, from the same direction as the previous source of light. Rainbow circles surrounded the star for a moment and, within a heartbeat, it flashed into a gigantic form, illuminating all of the area and even its outskirts. Boom. Hissing with the sudden flash, the air itself got pierced through as it all focused upon Cecilia, Sebastian, and the other Rune Knights. Rocks and wood vanished into dust, the atmosphere tarnished in an array of colors, the scream continued to ressonate and reach everywhere. A cloud of yellow completely overwhelmed everything and everyone. That was to be the fate of those that wandered into the Forest of Death. Chaos, Blooming Like Flowers Southern Entrance: The Plains Sakura looked at Jax, she looked at the mages among him, then back at Jax and then at her feet. Restless as ever, Sakura wanted to dive into the forest despite its extremely uninviting looks. Jax had said it was just some forest who killed people 'supposedly' and now she could see where the supposed was coming from. Even though she hadn't entered - Jax had given her strict orders on acting and keeping up with the legal mages or her food would be halved - she could feel a presence like none other. With one more look at Jax, she sighed. Like her stature in size, Sakura was bored and uneasy, a child at heart, mind and looks. She twiddled her feet from under her shoes before glancing at the symbol that she created. The symbol was quite simple, like most guild marks, it was an orange tail curled into a swirl that had black dots in places. Having sewn the symbol onto a skin-colored cloth to sell the idea the two were part of the guild, The Leaping Leopards, she couldn't help but frown. It wasn't bad but she could've sworn the circle on the far right had to go a bit more left. A few millimetres or two. She bit her lip. Having stood with a few mages, politely waving but not really saying much to either, it was clear no one had done more than a glance or two at the symbol. It was placed on her right thigh, a place where most do not want to be seen peaking, but even though no one should know of such a small guild, never mind the symbol itself, it started to bother her. She itched to fix it. Sakura, with great strength, decided to tug on Jax's arm. It was gentle, a sign she had used during times of fright or distress, but this time she just sighed. "Can I get like a snack or something, this waiting is making me hungry," she whined a little, staring at the backpack he carried. Food... the one and only thing that could distract Sakura over her own faults. Jax had been looking around, observing the other mages. They had an aura of confidence, built through their years of magical training. Jax exuded the same amount of confidence, although it was a front. It was a skill he had picked up. The Forest of Death was rumoured to be dangerous, but the idea of acquiring high amounts of money for solving the problem enticed him more than it scared him. As he felt Sakura's tug, his brotherly instincts kicked in. He looked down towards her, mouthing "Whats wrong?" before she spoke. He reached into the bag and pulled out a sandwich, which they had taken from a caravan on their way here. He tossed her the food, before continuing to look around. He didn't usually stay this quiet, but he knew that he had to observe the others. For now. Sakura smiled and started tearing the crust off before slowly nibbling on the food. The tension was weird to see off Jax and although she wanted to bother her brother it was clear he wanted left alone. So, still restless, she walked with her sandwich and the crust and sat down, watching the forest. ---- The final member of Thunder Fang stepped out of the . His black hair sat over his forehead and peaked out like a shed. He turned back to the car behind him and looked at it for a moment. Surveying its make, he smiled a big smile before walking up to the window. There, he met with the face of the driver, his golden eyes looking at hers. "If you put a scratch on her, you'll be homeless. And I ain't playin' either, Tianna." He threatened, tapping onto the car's door and turning back around. The woman sighed and revved the engine, spinning the tires as she did. "It's okay, Max! She's in good hands, ya' know. I am an adult after all! Good luck on your mission and don't die~!" She screamed, smashing the gas pedal as though she had two left feet and taking off into the distance. Shaking his head, Maxton turned around and met with the forest--the key location for their mission. All he could do was think back to what Marth stated about their mission. "A missing platoon of Magic Knights?" He thought to himself, before looking to both of teammates; Noelle Parrish and Daidalo Spiro, the other two members of Thunder Fang. By doing so, he was able also to scope out the other people waiting around with them. Ruffling his nose, he took a mental note of the large magical signature of the woman along the large group. Pulling his hoodie over his head, Maxton held his hand down to his side and gave off a grin. "Let's get it poppin'." Stepping out was one of the aforementioned team members, Daidalo, figure partially covered by his usual large cloak. Instantly, he had reached out for Maxton, "No, our orders require us to wait further orders..." Daidalo blinked for a moment at his own words, but proceeded, "We are to convene with everyone." With a hand, he gestured for the others that came before them. Daidalo took no time in eyeing all of them, so that he could recognize them, even if by appearance alone. They were all to work together, were they not? Therefore, he had to learn about them as much as possible. "Greetings," Daidalo smiled. One foot hesitantly touched the ground, then the other. Noelle could feel the grass gently graze against her ankles as she looked down at her feet. Following close behind her teammates, she awkwardly waved at the present mages. "The wind sure is nice around here..." she said, more to herself than others in a low voice. Her entire white and orange ensemble billowed against the breeze, however, with every step forward she took, she could feel an ominous presence. This was made evident by the sudden change of strength in the wind, even if it was for a brief moment, it nearly blew her hat off. Tapping Daidalo's shoulder and lightly holding Maxton's hoodie, Noelle looked at them with eyes akin to those of a puppy. "Um...whatever is in there, we've got to be careful." They were new teammates but she had enjoyed the short time they had spent together and considered them comrade in arms, thus if there was danger, she thought she should let them. ---- Cain scoffed as he looked at the other mages showing up. He had arrived a while ago, and he was just looking around for his teammates. His hand instinctively hovered by the sheath of his dagger, yearning to go into the forest and wield the blade against whatever lurked within. He bumped into a few mages but continued walking unapologetically. They should have seen him walking, they should've moved out of his way. Why would Cain bother to accommodate others? "Even the old guys not here yet..." he murmured under his breath. Usually Cain was the one who was late to events, and it was clear why. Being early stunk, he didn't have the patience to wait for others. The boy could only sigh as he kept walking around, searching for the other members of his team. "Ahhhh! There are already soo many people in here." Arthur is heard screaming in the midst of the several mages came in search of completing the mission. "Little Cain is probably extremely worried about us, and I haven't seen Master Nolan in hours and worst of all I'm panicking." Seen in an extreme level of stress Arthur rapidly turned onto the only other member that is still on his company. "Miss Sarah am I over exaggerating?" "What's there to be worried about? Even if Mast'a Nolli doesn't show, one of the Saints is gonna be with us." Sarah quipped back at the panicking teacher. "If they can't handle this, then well we're all probably dead anyways so there isn't anything to worry about. So just relax Arty." She finished with a confident smile. "So let's all just relax, wait for the Saint, and maybe get to know the people we're going in with." ---- A pair of individuals came floating down to the ground where all the other Legal Mages were congregated. The magical energy emitted from both of these two individuals was powerful enough that, even from a relative distance, their presences were noticed instantly, and everyone had turned to face them. They had slowly descended onto the ground, until the sphere of air that surrounded them dispelled, releasing a gust of air that blew past the Mages and collided with the barrier in front of them. Muttering could be heard from the distance, and as the Guild Mages closed in, they could make out the faces of the two figures. Nolan Houdini and Ivonne Houdini, famed faces in the World of Magic, with the latter being the prestigious member of the Ten Wizard Saints that had assigned this Job to the Legal Mages. "Ivonne nee-sama!!! I'm telling you, just please let me come with you!! I need to make sure Swan Hymn are safe!!" Nolan annoyed his sister, tugging on her skirt while being dragged on the ground, as Ivonne continued to walk forward unattentively. "Nolan, you're being an embarrassment you know." Ivonne shrugged off his attempts of persuading her, while his face (and her skirt) were being dirtied by the dust on the ground. Ivonne turned to face the group, and, as opposed to greeting them, narrowed her eyes and studied every last Mage that stood in front of her. "Hmmm..." Ivonne continued to think, eyeing all the Mages up, down, left, and right. "You all seem fairly competent." Ivonne nodded. She then realized, as she tried to walk forward again, that a weight was holding her back. Peering downwards again, the sight of Nolan trying to keep Ivonne stuck in place with his Vacuum Magic made Ivonne grin in amusement, before her brows furrowed inwards in anger, and her hair rose upwards. "Get off me, Nolan!!!" Stomping the ground, a shockwave punctured into the earth and shook the ground, before a pillar of earth shot upwards from underneath Nolan, sending him flying into the air. "A-aaaah!!!" Nolan shouted, as he continued to soar upwards and upwards. "SWAN HYMN!!!! IVONNE NEE-SAMA WILL KEEP YOU SAFE...PROBABLY!!!!!" Nolan continued to fly away, seemingly without any care, before his presence and voice disappeared from the senses of the Legal Mages. "Anyway, hello everyone. My name is Ivonne Houdini. I am the member of the Ten Wizard Saints that called you here today." Ivonne introduced herself calmly, dusting off her skirt and bowing to the Mages in front of her. "Did you have any questions before we get started on our little expedition today~?" Sakura looked from her sandwich to the pillar that now stood before them. It was erected in seconds and Sakura couldn't help but stare at it. It took her a while before she realized she was shaking. The Ten Wizard Saints were powerful, common knowledge to any and all, but this was something else for her. Swallowing down the remainders of her food with force, she kept staring blindly. A cold sweat dripped down before she got rid of eye contact and stepped back next to Jax. If she was to somehow figure out, Sakura was sure Ivonne would kill her before the forest even tried. As Jax noted Sakura's nervousness, his protective nature came into effect. He reassuringly placed grabbed her hand, squeezing it before letting go. He wasn't going to let his sister get in harms way, he'd rather die before that happened. He looked towards the massive pillar that Ivonne had concocted in an instant. The power of one of the Ten Wizard Saints was...inspiring, almost. Face still stuck on the forest, Maxton hadn't paid too much attention to the comical act between Ivonne and Nolan. He'd heard Ivonne's name plenty of times from Tianna, who'd called her a witch and every other name all because Donnell couldn't tame himself. He was aware, that much like his brother, she was also a member of the Ten Wizard Saints, but that didn't impress him. His focus had been solidified on the forest ahead. "Yeah." Maxton simply responded to Ivonne. "My only question is can everyone else not ask questions so we can get this started." His words were like a command to the sun, which shined off of his clean half white half red hoodie and glistened against the Golden Dragon emblem that was custom patched onto it. If anything, he had pride. Cain had let out an exhale of air from his nose as Nolan had shot through the air. It was funny, seeing the old man fly off like that. It was also a testament to Ivonne's raw power, something Cain kept in mind. But he kept walking until he found who he was looking for; the other Swan Hymn members. He strolled up between the other two mages, patting them both on the back briefly to signal his arrival. "Hey, you two." he murmured, keeping his tone hushed. Cain said nothing more as the boy from Golden Dragon spoke. He snickered in response to Maxton's comment. "Gutsy." he thought. But he wasn't against the suggestion. All Cain wanted to do was get in the Forest, and find out whatever was causing the disappearances. The premise of a fight was also on the table, and that's what Cain truly desired. Seeing his master once again Arthur's eyes for a brief moment calm down, only to immediately panic back at the sight of Nolan's sudden disappearance. "I'm sure you were already expecting that." He said looking at Ivonne while regaining his posture. "Well, I guess that's it". Now with a somehow more firm and confident sounding voice, Arthur murmurs to himself "Time for the teacher to show his worth." And as fast as his posture changed towards taking for actions, he immediately changes once Cain shows his presence. "Little Cain you are here, I was soo worried". "Got just one question, any idea what's in there?" Sarah asked the Saint casually. "Figure you don't, but having some idea of what we're about to run into would be useful." "From the reports given to me, it seems to be a Magic Item of considerable power. Enough so, that even S-Class Mages haven't been able to make it out of this forest successfully." Ivonne moved forward. She didn't bother to take a further look at any of the Mages behind her, but noted that Maxton was highly motivated. "Try not to rush these things, Max-tan." Ivonne looked at the barrier before her. She noted its complexity, and knew the only woman who could conjure a barrier of this much strength and this many layers. "Cecilia-chan...I hope you're okay..." Ivonne thought to herself, before stretching out her right hand. "Everyone, move back please. I don't need new Mages to be caught up in this." As she gave her warning, Ivonne released a considerable amount of power from her being. Pure white in color, the aura that exerted from her was fearsome, but it was wrapped around her body, to prevent the others from getting engulfed in her power. "Empty throne filled, Vessel of the great crown. Stage of the five elements, Invasion of the sixth. Witness fate as your souls ascend to heaven!" Ivonne recited an incantation, and suddenly, the fearsome aura that coated her being, seemed to transform into a wispy state. It exited from her body, and, taking on the appearance of ghosts, invaded the very barrier that Cecilia had conjured earlier on. At the same time, a flood of visions appeared in Ivonne's mind, of Cecilia's fear, of the presence that she had sealed, and the intentions she had as she sealed this entrance. The history and intention of this Magic was clear: they had to save the innocent from this disaster. Ivonne outstretched both of her hands, and subsequently moved them in a circular formation, unveiling a magic formula before her that had the symbols of five elements etched into it, while colored a stark white. "Corona Magna!" The magic formula had begun to rapidly rotate, and the magic power that floated in the air appeared to have an entirely different...feeling attached to it. Almost as if its restrictive presence vanished, and was replaced with a feeling of acceptance, and dependence on Ivonne herself. As the formula continued to spin, the barrier's presence began to soften, bit by bit, before suddenly... The entire forest could hear the sound of glass, shattering. It was an explosive sound that was echoed throughout every entrance of the forest. Any and all who had been in this forest would now know that Ivonne Houdini, the Ethereal, had made her presence known, and had broken the barrier that kept the forest at bay. Just what effect this invasion would have...only the forest could tell. Northern Entrance: The Mountain Having long since arrived at the location which has been dubbed Forest of Death but chose to take her time in scouting the area after traversing the northern mountain range to reach said location. Glancing around the magical forest with a curious yet cautious leer Ginevra couldn't stop the shiver that ran down her spine as she took in the forests ominous presence making her feel as if she was a small prey before a large and intimidating predator before she willed herself to regal control. "So this is the fabled Forest of Death" She spoke softly to herself as she began to trudge towards the forest. "The description of this place doesn't do it justice at all." She once again softly stated to herself as she took in the dark and rotted trees that spring upwards well beyond her vision is capable of seeing while casting an eternal shadow across the landscape, the overgrown moss, and fungi that covers the entire layout and the pools of black bogs. Nodding to herself at her deduction she continued her journey being careful to avoid stepping anyplace that she couldn't see or was unsure of while simultaneously avoiding making any direct skin contact with anything in her path. "I'm really beginning to think my assumption of this forest being directly or inadvertently linked to some form of or dark artifact was right" she thought as the feeling of dread seemingly increased with step she took deeper into the forest. "Maybe I should have contacted another member of the Guild instead of coming her solo." Was the thought running through her mind as she noticed the dim in light the deeper she traversed. Mentally smacking herself at her cowardice and slightly depressed thoughts she paused to gather her magic basking the darkened area in a pale yellow glow as an orb of concentrated magic hovered just above her head illuminating the path ahead. "Come on Ginevra your the Guild Master of the legendary and powerful mage guild White Forest not some preteen or civilian." She spoke aloud to herself as she felt her will and courage began to rush back into very core as if a spell was cast which caused her to push on this time with her guard fully up and a noticeable confident stride in her steps. The orb summoned by Ginevra seemed to flicker slightly with every step she took into the forest, its brightness hovering over the grass and the trees, while a current of air travelled towards where she was headed. It blew by her hair and clothes. Her feet made slightly audible sounds as they stepped over the grass and soil, yet, those weren't the only things she had stepped over. Indeed, should she hear it, Ginevra would notice that her boots also came in contact with wood, though, it didn't seem to be roots, otherwise the terrain wouldn't be so flat. After she had taken five steps, the wind current had seemingly gotten stronger, though, her hair flared in the opposite direction from before. As she walked, the atmosphere around her seemed to brighten, while her own spell seemed to tone down. ---- It hadn't been more than fifteen minutes ago since he'd finally arrived, left his by the edge of the mountain path and ventured into the forest itself alongside the two skeletal minions that accompanied him. Being an avid traveler and seeker of riches, Nero had thought that his past experiences would've made this nothing more than just another walk in the park, but the seemingly never-ending rows of trees and dark atmosphere made it more of a hassle than he'd expected. He'd yet to hear or spot anyone inside the forest, as a matter of fact, he'd rarely hear anything besides the occasional snap of a twig or the rattling of bones of his companions. Which was even more annoying as Nero had already tried to spot any traces of corpses in the earth below, only to end up receiving mixed messages that prevented him from pinpointing anything specific for the time being. "At least they got the name right..." Nero had only just begun conversing with his minions as his short attention span called for him to do something more than just walking. He couldn't deny the feeling that someone was looking at him from the back of his neck, the forest was certainly one of its kind as magic seemed too brittle though each fiber of its existence. Reaching yet another point upon which his only way to his next location was to take a long way around, Nero stood facing a small pound that blocked his path from going where he believed to be towards the center. He looked around for a moment and spotted a few sturdy trees not too far from each other inside the pound, seeing an opportunity before him, Nero had his minions reassemble themselves to form a short bridge from one tree to the other. Making sure to take hold of the sword, shield, bow and arrows given to each skeleton respectively before they arrived. "Can't complain too much about it though. There aren't any loud-mouthed brats, no one complaining and no one to mess around with." He continued to walk until finally reaching the other side of the pound, turning around to witness his minions returning to their normal form. Only to start shouting, "OF COURSE IT'S SOMETHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING HERE AT ALL!" Nero expected the echo of his words to at least make him company for but a moment, but it was turned on deaf ears as the forest itself appeared to have swallowed it up as quickly as it came. Grunting to himself as he turned back around and ventured forth. Seconds later, it seemed that Nero's echoes finally came through, "...THERE IS NOTHING HERE AT ALL." Passing by his frame just as he walked, the whole grass turned in the opposite direction, while the water at the pond budged formed a small ripple, which instantly stopped. All of a sudden, since Nero had his back turned to the pond, a hiss came by and filled his ears. Hot, a blanket of white and grey exploded in all directions, sliding by the trees, leaves, not going upward due to the blockage of the trees being so next to one another. Thus, the fog that came by covered from tip to toe, from soil to high in the air. One, with normal vision, could only glare a few feet ahead of themselves, before all was consumed by white. Should Nero glance back at the pond he tranversed, he could notice that the water had been gone. ---- It was quiet on the way there, Axle had been traveling for what felt like hours in a caravan provided to him for the sole purpose of reaching his job site, the silence almost deafening to the point of making him feel uncomfortable. But the equal measure, it hadn't been 3 days since he'd last converse with his employer as to the nature of the job he was offered. Rustling through the contents of his bag, they made up what were but a few essentials, nothing too luxurious he thought, consisting of food and water, with another pair of clothes if the occasion called for it. The only item that really stood out was a document logging all the details pertaining to his job, merely comprised of scavenging and reconnaissance, with the disappearance of the local militia that was made up Rune Knights. Upon arriving, the thickness of the atmosphere stood out to him immediately. The air, lack for a better word, was tense and thick from foliage, almost where Axle could feel his lungs weigh him down simply by taking a simple breath. From a distance, he could see a magical vehicle parked along the road, taking a moment to looks at before continuing on, Talk about no class, he thought, wondering what the owner is like to arrive in that bulky thing. From where he's arrived, he looked for his position on the map, he was halfway above the base of the mountain, leading him into a mountain trail led directly into the heart of the forest, "Well, guess it wasn't an exaggeration then." Just setting foot into the mountain sent a cold sweat barreling down, the presence it had alone easily earned it it's named, sinister in nature hadn't even begun to describe it. Taking a single leap, Axel charged atop of the tree branches, the length and volume being abnormally high for normal trees to compare, wondering if it had something to do with the forest that produced such a bizarre environment. Further in Axle, could hear forest, being littered with strange and unnatural noises coming from all manner of creatures, that even with the name "death" in its name, it was lively with all manner of activity. Pausing momentarily, Axle let go of his travel bag, letting it rest along the ground so as to listen more closely to his surroundings, using his magic to hone his hearing, expunging the location of numerous creatures hiding and scurrying along the forest's floor and thick greenwood. It became evident that as soon as he had stepped into this locale, all manner of predators and animals had already marked him as prey, waiting fervently for him to let his guard down. "So it's gonna be like that is it?" Placing his hand along his waist, Axle let it rest on a small pouch carrying several keys in it, quickly flinching as he removed his hand, throwing the notion out of his mind instantly, thinking better to conserve his strength in the long run rather than expend it so early for such trivial matters. "Ugh, it wouldn't be worth doing if it was that easy." Picking up his bag, Axle scurried on ahead, increasing his speed and frequency in order to stay one step ahead from any other animals, in this instance, avoiding any altercations with other possible wizards. Bushes were all scattered throughout the path that Axle chose to go, masking the creatures that he had assumed to be there. They ruffled, not audibly, making some leaves drop to the soil. Once one ruffled, one next to it followed, and the one next to the latter, and so on. Some were actually louder than the others, but, they stopped through no interval. They never went too far away from where Axle stood, shifting their vibrations backwards so that they went around instead of proceeding. Looking at the leaves dropped by these bushes, one would find them missing. Western Entrance: The River The Anemoi. A rudimentary Magic Item to the naked eye and a broken object to the untrained. Yet, to a proper Treasure Hunter, the Anemoi was the ultimate tool for adventure. For the compass would only point in the direction of the user's greatest desire. As if it dug deep into the spirit and deciphered the heart within. In Saladin's hand, it leads the group to this massive forest of death and destruction. Things were quiet..or as quiet as a forest could be. The Forest of Death, Saladin contemplated. Its always the blank of some horrible thing. If it was me, I'd name it the Forest of Second Chances. That'll catch them by surprise. The ebony mage looked to the others of his guild with a smile. "We're here." He said with a joking tone of fear. He scanned the members he brought along, saddened that he couldn't bring the entire outfit with him. But traveling in such a large group would be detrimental. "Solomon, I'm hoping you're ready to raise some hell." Although Solomon was new to the guild, their previous mission proved that the purple haired stranger had the drive and similar ambition. His attention turned back to the rest. "I need someone to stick to the shadows and out of sight." Saladin offered as he started to walk towards the river. Solomon walked along with the group, a little behind Saladin. He would occasionally glance at Anemoi, hoping for some better direction than "Go East" but he really couldn't complain. It was a magic compass after all. Solomon perked up when Saladin stopped the group and mentioned him by name. "I am indeed ready to raise some hell, put it right up there in heaven. That's how high we're gonna raise it." He nodded with a sly grin on his face. Then came the request for a stealth operative. Now Solomon could sneak around alright but stealth was not his strong suit. He lacked the ninja-like grace that some of the stealthier mages had but he would certainly try. "Gonna be completely honest with ya Saladin, stealth is not where my magic or I shine but I'll give it a go if ya need it." He turned to the rest of the group. "Just gonna put it out there though, not my best. If any of you think you're better please say so." "No," Saladin replied. His eyes rested on Arwa and Ziyaad. "Your magic and mine are better suited for the front lines." He said to Solomon. "I'd rather Arwa." Solomon sighed with relief. "I couldn't agree more." She smirked, nodding as she blended into the surroundings. When she spoke next, it was to the of her allies. "Try not to have too much fun without me. I'll be personally hurt." Saladin smirked. Yes. This was their usual plan, for any threat would be drawn to them before Arwa. But he still remained vigilant, keeping his senses on Arwa just in case some crazed lunatic managed to capture her. That was the scary part of this formation...Although nearby, she still lacked the immediate support of Saladin and the others. But he trusted in her. More than he trusted in himself at times. "Come on guys." His final words before they entered the forest. With the group of mages stepping feet inside the terrains of the forest, nearby howls would fill their ears, not too loud, but not too silent. Paws pressed over grass, provoking soft thuds, they seemed to get louder and louder, however, nothing could be seen approaching the group. Soaring by suddenly, the wind pushed some leaves, masquerading some of the thuds. Yet, they continued, going either loud or soft. It was nothing short of an investigation, after all, one couldn't tell whom had wandered into the forest. Breezing by again, the wind got stronger, prompting the trees and some of their twigs to get pushed, creaking. When some of them creaked, the wind was seemingly too strong, as they didn't budge back to their normal shapes. Although they did stop, the currents of wind came time and time, from the right, then from the left, from any direction. They didn't push anything that time, only slightly brushing by everything. ---- The sound of an engine echoed throughout the area as Macnia Gowan found himself looking at a sight unlike any other while he sat on his . Before him, there was a large river which seemed to lead directly into a gigantic forest. "I've never seen this forest before," Macnia commented, scratching his head in confusion. "I'm pretty sure I would recall such an ominous-looking forest on my previous deliveries to ." As Macnia continued to stare at the forest before him, his eyes suddenly widen in a mixture of shock and fear as an unnatural aura echoed from the forest. The mere feeling caused Macnia to break out into a cold sweat as his knees buck from the sheer amount of pressure exuded by forest. His instincts were screaming at him that this forest was something beyond his capabilities as a and far exceeded his understanding as a human. He needed to run away from this place. ''He needed to hide somewhere. ' ''He needed to call for help. ' It was at that last thought that managed to snap him out of his fear-induced panic. The ability to help. It was something he admired since he was a child, watching his family help people in a multitude of ways. His father helped by forging weapons and armor for people, his mother helped people by teaching children and his brother went out and joined a , doing who knows what to help people. However, even Macnia believed they paled in comparison to his mentor, who was helping him achieve his dream. Yet, here he was cowering like a child. Taking a deep breath, Macnia forced himself to stand straight up as he glared at the forest before him. His master wanted him to deliver the parcel to Ms. Houdini and he would do so to the best of his ability. He wouldn't fault before a scary forest. Dismounting from his bike, Macnia placed his hand on the vehicle as it was bathed in light before it was transported within his pocket dimension. "Don't worry, Master Donnell," Macnia said to himself, clenching his right hand into a fist. "I'll overcome this obstacle and deliver your message to Ms. Houdini! Just like you've helped me, I'll always help you." With his declaration made, he jumped into the lake as water splashed around him. Not deterred by the wetness of his clothes, Macnia kicked off of the ground with great force as he dashed towards the forest, unaware of the seriousness of the situation he would soon be in. Squish, squish. Macnia's boots pressed rapidly and lightly over the surface, yet, they left no trail of smashed grass behind. Whilst he continued his sprint, squish, squish... squish, something trailed, also smashing the grass. Sunlight bathed some of the grass, narrowly passing by the leaves, the wind soothed by. Squish, squish. His and the other, they were not in accordance to his, but, rather, came right after. It seemed whatever he could be carrying had attracted small companions. However, with the lack of light and the agglomeration of trees, it could be difficult to make out what kind of animal followed him. Eastern Entrance: The Swamp Everything was silent within the swamplands, perhaps it had been like this for a long time. Outside of those distant roars coming from ''that place, this land of murky water and moss trees seemed untouched. Unravaged by the dark and destructive power that emanated from within that accursed forest. A magic circle manifested above the unsanitary water, strange incantations surrounding the green invocation of magic. Springing forward from the circle was a strange rabbit creature, flapping its ears to keep itself from touching the defiling filth known as the swamp's water. Not too long after it, roughly a second or two, maybe even less, a man exited the magical circle, one big step followed by another. He adjusted his top hat as his shoes dug into the filthy water. Something squished in the water, one would even question what such a dapper man would be doing in such a revolting place. He generated a strange aura, though there was no one around to dictate such a thing, something seemed off. But amidst this forest of suffering, he was merely a toy to whatever laid within. "Thank you, Circinus. Take a rest, my friend." Ambrosus spoke, causing Circinus to nod in agreement as it's body faded to golden specks of magic. The man fastened the key back to his parasol. An odd expression on his face, not one of anger, or happiness, but something that seemed to be a controlled excitement in the contained a smirk. He began to walk through the forest, opening his parasol and using it to shield himself from the non-existent rain. He could sense it, the ominous power resonating within this place. Whatever it was, it was something like he'd never seen before. And it merely enticed him more to discover the nature of this forest. And whatever was causing this disturbance. However, that hadn't been all he sensed. Twenty-two magic signatures, one had suddenly faded as quick as it appeared. But another had truly caught his attention, power so immense there was no way they were a simple mage, perhaps even above S-Class. And all these magic signatures seemed to resonate from different sides of the forest, clearly he hadn't been the only person interested in the happenings of this famed place of despair. Ambrosus could only chuckle as he went on his way. "I wonder...I wonder what awaits me within this place, the Forest of Death." ---- "This is an entrance, right? I'll probably see myself in." Gai thought to himself as he looked at the swamp from the outside. Seeing a fallen branch nearby, Gai went over and picked it up, studying the piece of wood up and down. It was roughly the same height as him and looked good enough to help him trek through the supposedly muddy and dense waters of the swamp ahead. Firmly gripping it in his left hand, he tapped the bottom of the make-shift staff on the ground, testing to see how well it may hold up when applying force through it. "...It'll be good enough as it is. Hopefully, I won't have to do much fighting." Gai thought out loud. Taking a deep breathe in and out, he advanced his journey into the swamp. The part of the swamp that Gai had proceeded into was quite dense and dark, forcing him to use his staff as a sort of detector for the ground in front of him. He stretched his arm out with the staff a few centimeters in front of him, giving him time to take action in case his staff detected a deep puddle in his way. As much as he didn't like the dark, he couldn't complain due to be stuck underground in a tomb for six hundred years. With his other hand, Gai pushed through shrubs and tall bushes that made up the vegetation of the swamp, most seemingly feeling with small thorns that tugged onto his rustic gi. After ten minutes of traversing the dark, Gai stumbled across some patches of light that broke through the swamp's trees, shining down on the environment that the swamp was on this side. Murky waters layered with lilypads, brown-greyish trees that stood low and high over the ground, and shrubs littering most of the brown dirt ground. The croaking of toads and chirping of crickets could be heard from among the green, almost seemingly taunting Gai the further he continued on his way. There was a strange ambiance to this swamp that Gai had not felt that much before in the Ikinobiru Province, one that warned him about what lied further. "Are there monsters here? Or other mages?" While Gai went deeper and deeper through the swamp's waters, the toads increased their croaking, not at any pace, however. Counting them was futile, yet, one only croaked after the other, waiting no longer than a second once its companion was done. Similarly, the crickets also sung louder, though, they sung in groups, rather than one by one. Across the dark water, bubbles littered its surface, becoming no larger than the toads that stood by, still, it seemed that the water had a darker shade on some bits and a green one where Gai walked through. Some of them popped, producing sounds of variable loudness and spreading some of the mud. The mud that flew from these dark bubbles landed on a high parch of land, instantly producing steam and sinking into the soil, although, no sound came from it. A part of the bubbles, instead of popping, flew out into the air, popping only much later. These pops also managed to spread the darker shade over the lighter shade. Along the dark waters, an oval shape silently rose with a toad over it, empty eye sockets briefly appearing before it submerged once again. “I’ve travelled through worse. This is basically a walk in the park compared to other treks I’ve walked.” Gai thought out loud, making his way with his staff scanning the ground in front of him. “...Not really feeling this atmosphere though, I’ve no idea how far my magic can bring me.” ---- A large gust of wind blew through the swamp, lifting a man several feet off the ground. As the winds calmed, they carefully placed the man onto the murky swamp floor, his foot sinking into a pool of mud. "Disgusting." Munin Reisende mumbled under his breath before looking around and observing his surroundings. The swamp was exactly what he expected. Murky, dark, and very damp. As he explored more of the swamp, he tried his hardest to avoid stepping into the mud. Munin spotted a clearing, making his way over to it. The clearing was nestled between several dark trees that towered over the rest of the swamp, and it was the perfect spot for his plan. Upon reaching the clearing he lifted one of his staves into the air before forcefully bringing it down. The ground exploded, sending a flurry of dirt, mud, and rocks in every direction. With the rock underneath now revealed he pointed his hand downwards. Seconds later a formula appeared around his hand, the rock he was aiming at now shifting, turning, and bending. A being resembling Munin lifted its arm out of the ground and grasped for its creator. The real Munin grabbed the Doppelganger's hand and yanked them out of the misshapen rock. A Munin-shaped hole was left where the Doppelganger emerged from, but Munin quickly caused it to collapse in on itself, hiding the evidence of his interference. The Doppelganger's stony flesh began to change and soften, taking the form of the real Munin. The two locked eyes in complete silence, the Doppelganger nodding, and original Munin passed the staves to stone Munin. Original Munin clapped stone Munin on the shoulder before disappearing, not willing to risk his life in a situation like this. The Doppelganger continued its journey through the murky swamp, riding across the blowing wind created by a single flick of a staff. Much like it happened where Gai was, the mudy water had varying shades throughout its surface, either lighter or darker. Bubbles popped from all sides, though, the ones that didn't, instead of popping seconds later, created streams of water that rose through the atmosphere and hit the top leaves. Also, looking closely, it was noticeable that the bubbles weren't spherical, rather, they seemed to have a long and oval shape. And holes, holes... two on the top area and a large one on the lower, it opened briefly, as if trying to swallow something. Dark water gushed around, bubbles popping, others resurfaced at the same moment, repeating what the others looked like. What came out from the gaping, however, was another swarm of dark water. Not only one came, several sprouted from the bubbles, from the streams, reaching far and spreading the darkness over the lighter water. Those that reached the ground and whatnot, likewise, produced steam and melted the terrain, some of them were fast as jetstreams, threatening to paint over the doppelganger that Munin created. Category:Role-Plays Category:Ash9876 Category:DamonDraco Category:Dal101